Much like the previous HD upgrade
collection, Kingdom Hearts I.5 HD Remix,
Kingdom Hearts II.5 HD Remix takes 3
previous Kingdom Hearts games and
gives them an HD bump-up. Square Enix had a playable demo available at this
year's Jump Festa 2014, and Kotaku East
was there to experience some HD goodness.

There were two demos provided, each with
different playable stages. For Kingdom
Hearts II Final Mix, there was the Halloween Town stage and the Beast's
Castle. For Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Final Mix, there were three stages for each of the different protagonists.

Control-wise the demo was the same as the
original games, just prettier. The original games themselves were well already well-refined. Obviously, the graphics upgrade is quite noticeable when compared with the original versions. This doesn't come as too much of a surprise looking at Kingdom Hearts I.5 HD Remix.

Of the two, Birth By Sleep benefits the most, both in terms of controls and visual upgrades, by moving from the handheld PSP to a home console. I love the PSP, but the lack of a second analog stick was always a bit of a drawback. Japanese blog Hachima Kikouposted some comparison pics and you can really see
what magic an HD facelift can do for a PSP game.

Overall, it's hard to describe Kingdom Hearts II.5 HD Remix without
covering the same ground that was already addressed with Kingdom Hearts I.5 HD Remix. Both games work hand-in-hand as a
definitive Kingdom Hearts collection
as well as a nice lead-up to the (eventual) release of Kingdom Hearts III. Now, the only chapter in the Kingdom Hearts saga that has yet to join
the HD family is Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream
Drop Distance]. Maybe it'll be included as HD video content in Kingdom Hearts III...

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix is the newest in a long line of last generation titles being remastered …
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Kingdom
Hearts II.5 HD Remix is currently scheduled for
release in 2014. The game will include playable HD versions of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, as well as HD video content from Kingdom
Hearts Re: coded.